The Keeper's Phantom
by Oak Leaf Ninja
Summary: Sequel to The Phantom's Keeper! She was my keeper. She was my phantom's keeper. And I, Danny Phantom, watched helplessly as the transformation from a human to a ghost went completely wrong...
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own DP! Important! IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE PHANTOM'S KEEPER, THIS WILL MAKE NO SENSE WHATSOEVER! So read that first if you are interested in reading The Keeper's Phantom. Thank you! **

She was my keeper.

She was my phantom's keeper.

And I, Danny Phantom, watched helplessly as the transformation from a human to a ghost went completely wrong.

Her violet eyes had shut in pain, and everything was in slow motion. I heard the scream of terror before she had fainted within the flames Clockwork had surrounded her.

"SAM!" I screamed in terror. She couldn't die- she couldn't! She was the only thing keeping me from turning insane. She couldn't die...

The flames dispersed, and I ran over to her unconscious body. Clockwork just stood silently and watched us.

_Sammy, can you hear me?!_ I screamed in my head, but the only sound that returned to me was an echo of my own voice. My human heart was racing, and I checked her frail wrist for a pulse.

_Bum bum. Bum bum. Bum bum. _

I let out a sigh of relief. Obviously she was still alive- for now.

"Clockwork, I can't get through to her!" I grunted in frustration. "She's still alive, but what went freakin' wrong?"

I could feel my sanity slipping away as I looked at Clockwork dead in the crimson eyes. Clockwork had lied to Sam and said that everything was peachy keen.

I'm pretty sure nearly going insane after all the trauma I went through doesn't count as "peachy keen."

Clockwork sighed, and pushed back his hood. He ran his hand through what little hair he had and didn't look me in the eye.

"I don't know, Daniel. But I believe in order to find out, we have to do a similar process of what Samantha just went through."

I nearly felt like ripping Clockwork's throat out at that moment. Something went terribly wrong, and now he's asking me to go on a mission with him or something?

"And what would that be Clocky?" I growled. I was in a kneeling position, but I stood up to face him face to face. He set his time staff on the ground with a deafening thud and stared at me.

"We need to go inside Samantha's brain and locate what went terribly wrong- and then fix it. We'll search for her ghost essence in its physical form as well."

My mind went blank from a moment, and then I looked back at my unconscious keeper.

I was going to go inside her _mind._

**Liney: Wait wait wait, this is in Danny's POV now?**

**Me: Haha, yep. Thanks for tuning in to the first chapter of TKP! Leave a review and next update is tomorrow! **


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own DP.**

"We're going... inside her mind?" I questioned out loud. Clockwork nodded.

"We did a similar process when Samantha went inside your memories. She still has an hourglass, but like yours hers will be engulfed by flames as well, showing the transformation. She simply couldn't see the rest of the hourglasses were engulfed in flames as well at the time."

His face suddenly turned a deadly red, almost as he was...

_...blushing?_

"We'll have to see Melinda again to access the hourglasses."

Ah. So that's why he was blushing. In all the seriousness of the moment, I couldn't help but tease him just a little bit.

"Melinda? Why, Clocky, you've never mentioned her. Who is she?" I had a feeling that Clockwork liked this Melinda chick judged on his bright red face, and any blackmail is good blackmail.

"Uh, well... she's... a very good friend of mine..." stuttered Clockwork. "It's funny, Samantha asked me about the same thing."

Her name stung, and the teasing moment was lost. I was teasing Clockwork about this Melinda person and Sammy was still unconscious?

"Nevermind. So, take us to this Melinda person." I commanded quickly, a rash tone suddenly returning to my voice. Clockwork gave me an odd look, but then nodded.

"As you wish."

He started to chant in an ancient language which I immediately recognized as Alphonia, the ancient language of the Observants. Clockwork had taught me that during my studies of being an apprentice, and he also taught me how to speak it. He began to sing a lullaby of sorts in a rather amazing voice.

_"Descending down the steps to a weary land of sleep, where hidden lies and promises greet me as I close my eyes. The whispers of the willows sing their sorrowful song as I mumble in my sleep trying to sing along. Swaying thoughts and emotions create the storming sea and through the night I toss and turn. Praying for a better day to greet me when I wake."_

We were suddenly in a flowery meadow that looked like it came out a fairy tale book. Clockwork's eyes glimmered with love, but for some reason he was a _teenager. _

"Uh, Clocky? Why did you suddenly turn into a teen-" I was cut off by a beautiful- yet not as beautiful as Sammy- girl running through the flowery field.

"CLOCKWORK!"

**Thanks for 11 reviews so far! And the song Clockwork sang was the chant Sam couldn't understand earlier. Next update is tomorrow, and leave a review please!**

**Liney: And now for a recommended fic~ They Don't Know About Us on WattPad is an amazing fanfiction about One Direction. If you're a Directioner, go check out my good friend's story.**

**Me: *cough* I'm not a Directioner myself, but it's still a good story. *cough* You didn't hear anything! **


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own DP! **

A large grin spread across Clockwork's face. Before he could get a single word out the girl ran over and hugged him tightly, toppling him to the ground.

"Caldward, didn't expect to see you back so soon," she purred. She brushed back a strand of Clockwork's now longer teenage hair and grinned.

I held back a chuckle. So this must be Melinda. Clockwork's expression was priceless- he was speechless! He was just staring at the beautiful creature that loomed above him.

"Now," she said, seriousness returning to her voice, "What on earth are you doing here? I thought you were still in that one phantom's memor-"

She looked up and gasped. Meeting my gaze, she had a look of surprise.

"...Clockwork? Care for an explanation?" she asked slowly. She got up off of Clockwork and walked towards me in a daze. She reached out and stroked my face, almost in disbelief that I was real. Her warm hand trailed down to my neck, and felt for a pulse.

Her eyes widened when she felt my heart beat fast.

"Clockwork, he's supposed to be a fragment of a memory. He's supposed to be _DEAD," s_he whispered. Her eyes filled with horror as she looked at Clockwork.

_"What have you done?" _

Clockwork's love struck daze was gone, now replaced by a serious gaze.

"I have done nothing. All is as it should be. I did not tamper with time in his human life, everything that happened in that hourglass had already happened." he explained. "Daniel after his death arrived in the ghost zone, and I took him under my wing."

Melinda looked like she was about to cry.

"...the Observants... They noticed the hourglass room was disturbed..." She said quietly. "They're sending someone in to guard and to hunt down anyone who dares disturb it again."

Clockwork was grim, but he looked at me. I was speechless. I was supposed to be completely dead...?

"Melinda. We must go in there. It's the only way to save my other apprentice Samantha. We have to go inside her mind, or else she will be forever stuck in the transformation..." He said with a sense of urgency. Melinda did began to cry then.

"But you'll be hunted down. You'll be removed permanently," she sobbed. Clockwork's eyes softened and he walked over to Melinda. He wrapped his arms around her in comfort.

"I'll be willing to take that chance to save my apprentice," he whispered in her ear.

I looked away from them. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up. Someone else was here. I looked around, looking for the intruder, but found no one. I shrugged to myself and looked up at the sky, letting Melinda and Clockwork have a rather touching moment.

The sky was beautiful, but what caught my attention most was two clouds. They looked like two wispy angel wings surrounding a small orb of sunlight. I reached out subconsciously as if I could touch it, but then pulled my hand back.

_**Danny...**_

It was Sammy's voice.

And she sounded scared.

**Me: A huge thanks to MJPhantom8998 for inspiring this chapter. We bounced ideas off each other, and this came to be. Thanks for 21 reviews in total now! **

**Liney: ...Oak? Who did the Observants send to hunt whoever disturbs the hourglass room again?**

**Me: *evil laugh* Another idea that we bounced back and forth. Next update Monday and leave a review please! **


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own DP! **

Slate blue eyes squinted in the bright lights of the meadow. It was too cheery, too light for someone like him to be around. He liked darkness. He stopped breathing for a moment when his target suddenly looked his way, almost like the target knew he was there.

The moment of horror stopped as his target, deciding nothing was there, turned back around and focused on the hugging couple instead.

He felt like mentally slapping himself. Plasmius had equipped him with the stealthiest hunting equipment in the ghost system to track down the intruders disturbing the precious hourglasses. This included an invisibility cloak, which mean his target could not see him under any circumstance.

His target nudged the elder target lightly and coughed into his hand. He seemed on the edge for some reason...

_**Ryan! **_

The too familiar voice boomed in Ryan's head, and he cringed involuntarily.

_Yes, master?_ he replied politely, though he felt like shooting his master for ruining his concentration on his target.

_**Have you decided your plan of attack for retrieving the targets? **_

Ryan glanced at his two targets. His eyes widened as he noticed a portal open, by none other than the keeper of the hourglasses. He thought she was supposed to be... ancient. Not a teenager. But as the portal was opening, the two targets entered.

Without thinking, Ryan leaped in the portal after him, and briefly answered his master:

_Yes._

* * *

All three of them stumbled through the portal. Ryan's invisibility cloak had slipped off, revealing his spiky black hair covering his emerald green eyes. He quickly slipped it back over his head to avoid being spotted.

"Which one of these is Sammy's?" he heard his main target say. Ryan assumed 'Sammy' was one of the hourglasses they were trying to break into to steal her memories- after all, that's what Plasmius told him. And Plasmius was the most trusted ghost in the ghost zone...

...right?

Lost in thought, Ryan didn't even notice the tear slip down the target's face. But he did hear his target say this:

"Clockwork, what...what will happen if we can't save her? Will...will she..." The target couldn't even finish the sentence. Ryan now noted the tears falling down the target's face, and for the first time-

Ryan felt a twinge of compassion for his target.

And Ryan never felt compassion.

**Me: Aha! I have introduced an extremely important role in the story! Ryan! **

**Ryan: *lowers hood* No spoiling, Oak. **

**Me: *pouts* But can't I tell them how you fa-**

**Liney: No spoilers! And thank you guys for 29 reviews!**

**Me: Fiiiine... And yes, thank you! Next update tomorrow and leave a review please! **


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own DP!**

Clockwork looked at me, his face softening at the sight of my tears. I hated to cry in front of him. It made me look weak and pitiful in his eyes. But he had seen me worse off than this.

"Daniel, we will save her. No questions asked. Understood?" He said firmly. I nodded and wiped my tears away in embarrassment.

"Understood." Clockwork placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Come on Danny. Let's go." My eyes widened in shock. Never before has he called me Danny... Only Daniel. I let out a grin and looked at the hourglass Clockwork was holding. It was engulfed in multiple shades of amethyst flames, and it looked utterly stunning.

That was the last thing I saw before someone whacked me in the head and I fell unconscious.

* * *

Ryan stared at his target he had just knocked down. With a quick swoop he grabbed the amethyst hourglass, only to have his other target grab it at the same time. The target reached out and flung down Ryan's hood, revealing his emerald eyes glistening with a silent anger.

"How did you...?" questioned Ryan in disbelief. The target let out a grim look.

"I should have known Plasmius would send someone. Release the hourglass at once."

Ryan smirked. Did his other target truly believe he would release the hourglass just because he asked him too?

"And why should I?" He laughed. His target's eyes glowed a deadly red, even deadlier than his master's eyes. Ryan's laughter slowly faded away in horror.

"Because you are holding my apprentice's hourglass, and things could get deadly for you if they don't."

Ryan immediately dropped the hourglass, intimidated by his older target. He knew he should have held onto it, but...

He was honestly scared out of his mind. He began to bolt, but the target caught him by the hood.

"Not so fast. I have questions. You have answers. You will accompany us into Samantha's mind, and you will cooperate because you are a vital part to this mission. You know how Plasmius works, and you can help us navigate through her mind. And can you stop referring to us as targets? We have names. Mine being Clockwork, and my other apprentice you just knocked out is Daniel. Understood?"

Ryan was speechless. Did his targ- Clockwork, read his mind...?

"And yes, I can read minds. I knew you were following us since the meadow. It's either coming with us, or I reporting you to the Observants for their judgment. Do I make myself clear?"

Ryan let out a silent whimper. Who was this Clockwork guy, and how did he convince Ryan so easily?

"Crystal." He whispered in defeat.

**Me: *hums happily* **

**Ryan: Still don't know how Clockwork convinced me so easily... **

**Liney: *coughs awkwardly* Anyways, thanks for 39 reviews and next update is Thursday! Leave a review please! **


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own DP! **

I woke up with a throbbing vein pulsing through my head. I wearily opened my eyes. There were two blurred figures- one being clockwork, and one being...

I blinked my eyes again. Who the heck was the guy standing before me? The guy was talking to Clockwork. He looked about my age with spiky black hair and emerald green eyes, and he had on a medieval age brown cloak. His rough jeans and sneakers were from the present, however.

I took my gaze off of the strange kid for a second and looked around. We weren't in the hourglass room, that's for sure. We were in the middle of the woods, which was peculiar... It seemed to be alive. Things in the ghost zone tended to be dead.

The spiky hair kid looked over his shoulder and frowned a bit when he saw me conscious.

"Well, seems like tar- I mean, Danny has woken up," he said with a bit of a growl in his voice. Clockwork turned around and looked at me with a grim expression on his face. I was really started to dislike this stranger.

"Clockwork? Who the heck is this guy?" I said while glaring at said guy.

"Daniel, 'this guy' is Ryan. He... Was the one who was sent after us to destroy us, but I convinced him otherwise. He also was the one to knock you unconscious."

My dislike for this Ryan grew terribly stronger at that moment.

"He's the guy who knocked me out?" I said in anger. Ryan didn't meet my angry gaze.

"He's also coming with." said Clockwork flatly. I looked at him in major disbelief.

"He's coming with us?" I yelled. "After he knocked me unconscious, tried to hunt us down... And now I'm supposed to put up with him?"

Ryan finally spoke. "It wasn't my choice. The older tar- Clockwork demanded that I agree, or else be punished by the Observants. I know Plasmius' schemes pretty well, so I will help you navigate through Sam's memories."

Plasmius...? What does Plasmius have to do with-

Oh no.

_Sammy._

"What does Plasmius have to do with Sammy?" I shouted loudly, and reached over and shook Ryan by the shoulders. "What has he DONE TO HER?"

Clockwork came over and roughly separated me from Ryan. I was still ready to shake the living guts out of this kid.

"Daniel! Get a hold of yourself! It's Plasmius you should be angry at, not Ryan. He's just a pawn in a game of chess- Plasmius is king. Would you rather waste your energy on a useless opponent, or save it for a king?"

Clockwork had a good point. No matter how much I wanted to destroy Ryan right on the spot, I had to save my energy for a bigger opponent-

_The king. _

**Thanks for 52 reviews in total so far! I'm going to have so much fun with the conflict between Ryan and Danny! **

**Liney: Next update will be tomorrow, and don't forget to review! **


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own DP! **

It was cold. Cold and dark. Sam shivered as she walked- no, floated, through the empty forest. She couldn't believe that she was honestly in her mind at the moment... If anything, she was surprised on how dark her mind truly was. It was like night decided to engulf her mind and stay there. But she liked it that way, and she intended to keep it like that.

Sam was still getting over the fact that she had indeed become a ghost. She didn't feel any different. It's where she belonged all along, right? Sam sighed and brushed back a strand of her now angelic white hair.

_"Samaaaantha..." _A sharp whisper hissed through the chilled air. The hairs on the back of Sam's neck stood up, and she looked around worriedly.

"Wh-who's there?" She called out in fear. Wind blew around her already freezing body, sending chills down her spine.

_"Tis' the bringer of doubt, in this conscious eve, where the snowflakes are silenced, and your hope leaves."_

Sam shook her head in disbelief. She was just... hearing things. That's all.

"You're just a figment of my imagination," she spat into the empty air. The wind returned, now wrapping its way around her neck like a scarf, but coldness seeped through her rather than warmth.

_"A figment of imagination, you declare with such pride. But I have always been here, waiting inside..."_

The sharp whisper suddenly grew loud towards her ear:

_"YOUR MIND!"_

Sam let out an ear piercing scream and began to fly. Flying faster and faster, she hoped she could escape this fiend that claimed somehow, she created it inside her mind.

_"You cannot escape, no matter how hard you try! Your actions are useless, do not deny. How pitiful your cry, how pitiful your mind. Let I, doubt, seep inside," _Doubt sharply whispered inside her ear. And Sam was beginning to doubt. Could she ever escape? Was running away really worth it?

Her flying slowed, and she was ready to give up. She wanted the whispers to end... End for good.

Doubt cackled in the night sky.

_"See how you doubt? Let hope cease. It is doubt that you need in this time of need."_

"I...don't...need...DOUBT!" shouted Sam at the monstrous doubt. "I have to hope, not doubt! You're not real, and you can't hurt me."

_"Can't hurt you...? Tis doubt that hurts in times of need, and a taste of pain is all you need," _said Doubt with a evil laugh.

Without another word a sharp pain suddenly hit Sam in her heart, and she let out a scream. It stung, not physically... but mentally. Doubt began to seep into her heart. She tried to fight back by thinking about the one thing that gave her hope-

_Danny._

I'm finishing typing this during school, so let me make this author's note quick- Thanks for all the reviews, I'm sorry this was so short, but I'm leaving for a retreat as soon as I get home from school and won't be able to type up the next chapter til Monday! Leave a review please, and next update Monday, sorry! 


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't own DP! **

"So, Ryan," I spat venomously. We were sitting at a campfire Clockwork had made for us. He insisted that we stay here and 'bond' while he had a look around this haunted place. Insisted that we were too 'angry' to think straight.

Pfft. I wasn't angry. I was only seriously ticked at the guy sitting across from me.

"Yes, target? Oops, I meant _Daniel_," he spat back. He was holding his cloak close to his body... He looked cold. Ryan was shivering.

"Ghosts aren't supposed to shiver," I laughed harshly. "And of all of Plasmius' pawns, he chose a freeze baby."

Ryan closed his eyes and chattered some more. He scooted closer to the fire in an effort to get warm.

"Target, I'm not a ghost. I'm a highly trained ghost hunter that just so happens to be human. Deal with it." he explained in a monotone voice. My eyes widened.

He was completely...

_Human. _

A small spark of jealously was lit off in my head, and it fueled the fire that exploded that moment.

"Okay, I hated the fact that you were hunting me, I hated the fact that you were trying to bring us back to Plasmius himself, but of all things you have to be HUMAN?" I yelled at him. I stood up and walked over to him, my eyes growing a dangerous yellow.

"I...loved my humanity. I loved it to my core. I'm lucky what I am now decided to let me keep my human emotions and my heart. _AND YOU JUST HAPPEN TO SHOW UP, THE 'GREATEST GHOST HUNTER' THAT'S HUMAN'!"_ I shouted at him. I looked at him fuming. What I expected to be a raging face looking back at me turned out to be a very scared... Very _human_... Ryan.

"...I-I'm sorry! I didn't know! Please, don't kill me! I have so much to live for!" He cried out in anguish. I was confused. He thought I was trying to kill him? What would make him think tha...

I looked down at my hands. Two ectoplasmic blasts illuminated in them, and both were aimed at the shaking Ryan. I must've looked completely murderous at that point to him. Yellow eyes blazing, a furious temper...

I had become a monster at that moment. I lowered the ectoplasmic blasts and my eyes turned back to green.

"...I'm sorry." I whispered quietly. I turned around and walked back to the other side of the campfire. I sat down on a log and buried my head in my arms.

Was I really that much of a monster now?

**Thanks for 69 reviews in total now! I felt bad for making Danny rage... Buuuut it shows he's not mentally stable. ;) Anywho, next update tomorrow and leave a review please! **


	9. Chapter 9

**I don't own DP!**

She woke up with a throbbing headache. Doubt pulsed through her mind... Was this a dream, or was she awake?

_"Sammy!" _

Sam's eyes jolted open. Was that Danny's voice she was hearing?

"D-Danny...?" She asked groggily. It was almost like she was in a drugged haze. Everything was going in slow motion. She looked around, trying to look for Danny.

_"Sammy, it's going to be okay. Just follow my voice,"_ said the voice. Sam wore a hazy smile.

"I'll- I'll follow you!" She cried out happily. Sam tried standing up, only to stumble over and fall to the ground. She let out an extremely girly giggle and stood up again. "Dan-Dan, I'm coming!"

* * *

In the shadows of the forest, a ghost let out a cold chuckle. The ghost was very beautiful, and a pink mist surrounded it. It was neither male or female, rather it was just a silhouette of black.

_"Come Samantha_," it whispered to itself, "_The poison will soon seep in. Tis the poison of love that is ever so sweet... Come." _

* * *

Sam began to see everything in bright pastel colors. Everything became...bright. And cheery. Sam let out another giggle. She felt so drawn to 'Danny's' voice, and she felt so in love.

_"Come, Sammy. I'm waiting for you. Follow the trail of lilacs_," purred the voice. Sam looked down to see a beautiful trail of lilacs. They seemed like they went on forever... But in reality they ended at the edge of the forest cloaked in darkness. She leaned down to try to pick up a lilac. To her dismay the flower disappeared in her hand.

"Awwww..." She whimpered while pouting, "Danny, why can't I hold the flower?" Sam let out a drunken burp and laughed again. The voice hesitated for a moment, but then spoke once more.

_"Beauty is an illusion, but your beauty is real_," complimented the voice. A blush fluttered across her face.

"D-Danny... You're sweet," she said softly. She stood up and trudged through the lilacs, stumbling multiple times along the way. Sam eventually made her way to the edge of the forest.

Darkness seeped by her feet. The beautiful genderless ghost let out a low laugh.

_"Darling, you're almost to me. Just a few more steps and you'll be in my arms_," said the voice sweetly.

The poison the voice had talked about had began to fade apparently. Things were becoming crystal clear. The bright pastel colors were flashing, and Sam's mind was becoming dark and gothic once more. She looked in the direction of Danny's voice.

"Danny...? What's going on? Where are you?" She was very confused and scared. The ghost was getting frightened as well. The poison it had given Samantha while she was knocked out by another ghost was wearing off.

_"I-I'm hurt...? Yes! I'm hurt! I'm being hurt by a terrifying ghost_!" lied the voice quickly. Sam took another step into the woods. Her vision was becoming clear. Things were starting to make sense.

"Danny wouldn't be hurt that easily.. And he would fight for his freedom." Her voice had an angry twinge to it. "You're not Danny." With an aggressive growl she leapt into the forest and landed in front of the ghost.

"What have you done to Danny?" She yelled at it. The silhouette scoffed.

_"I've only mimicked his voice to lure you in. I'm the poisonous side to love. Tis the poison of love ever so sweet... It blinds your logic and makes you believe that everything is perfect, when in reality it's only a shattered dream. I feast on lust and longing. When I was searching for a new host, I stumbled upon you a few weeks ago. Your mind was full of longing for that insane ghost boy, and it's so tender and juicy... But when your transformation to a ghost went terribly wrong and locked you inside your mind, I knew finding you would be the ultimate feast. Any last words?"_

**Thanks for 89 reviews! Next update will be Thursday, and leave a review please! (I hope this chapter made sense... ^,^")**


	10. Chapter 10

**I don't own DP.**

Sam's yellow eyes blazed in fury. This thing- this putrid creature- was feasting on her emotions for the last few weeks, and now it was going to eat her? She opened her mouth to speak her so called 'final words'-

-but Clockwork beat her to it. He had just stepped into the forest cloaked in darkness. His crimson eyes lit up in major surprise when he spotted Sam.

"Sam! You're alive!" He cried out in relief. A tired smile wound around Sam's face as she saw Clockwork. His smile disappeared as he saw the ghost next to her.

"Lang... It's been awhile. A hundred years since you were released from prison?" He said with a frown. Lang plucked a lilac out of thin air and begin fiddling with it.

"Clockwork. I didn't miss hearing your voice those lonely years of prison," it spat viciously. With a laugh it tore the lilac in half and threw it to the forest floor.

"Lang, what are you doing with my apprentice? Why are you in her mind at all?"

Lang floated over to Sam. It's finger caressed Sam's face as it spoke. Sam growled, but a blush rose on her cheeks against her will.

"Longing and lust thrive in this child. How could I miss such an opportunity?" it purred. Clockwork looked at Sam in surprise.

"Samantha...? She's innocent of such thoughts..." He trailed off and looked at Sam. Her face was void of emotion. Clockwork tried to meet her gaze, but she avoided it. He let out a tired sigh and look back to Lang.

"Regardless if that's true or not, she is not a suitable host for you. Far from it, in face."

Both Sam's and Lang's eyes opened wide.

"Not a suitable host? She has been the finest meal I've eaten in centuries!" Lang proclaimed in shock. Clockwork let out a knowing grin.

"You haven't been in the human world, have you? Talk to Technus. He can hack you into what humans call 'dating sites.' So much lust and longing thrive there, and it's an everlasting source. In exchange for getting out of my apprentince's mind, I will escort you to Technus and allow you not to be imprisoned by Walker for your crime. Do we have a deal?"

The offer did sound extremely tempting to Lang. Unlimited power... Lang could learn to love that.

"We have a deal," said Lang with a wicked grin. "Shall we exit now?"

Clockwork shook his head.

"I need to escort my apprentice to my companions first, and then I shall escort you out." He said. Lang nodded.

"Fair enough. As promised, I will stay here."

Clockwork frowned.

"Oh no. I don't trust you enough by yourself. You're coming with us until I drop off Samantha. Come along."

Lang growled and unwillingly trailed behind Sam and Clockwork.

"Clockwork, do you know another power I have?" it questioned. Clockwork glared at it.

"Whatever it is, don't tr-"

Sam's dirty and torn clothes suddenly transformed into a beautiful gothic gown, frilled with black lace at the edges. It had no shoulders and dipped with a v neck corset. Sam's face turned a bright cherry red. But what surprised her most was her hair was now black again, and her eyes violet.

Lang smirked. "I can change appearances of others. I think she looks beautiful now, don't you agree?"

**Thanks for ...100? It's already at 100 reviews? Holy moly! Luci, whoever you are, you have the 100th review. Which means... You get a prize of a small oneshot written by me! Luci, send me a pm or leave a comment on what you would like me to write about. Thanks for all of your guys support, and next chapter will be tomorrow! Leave a review please.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I don't own DP! **

Sam pulled nervously at her dress. It was indeed beautiful, but she felt so exposed in it...

"Samantha, wait here with Lang for a moment." instructed Clockwork as he came near the site of the campfire. "I need to explain a few things to Danny and Ryan."

Sam furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Clockwork? Who's Ryan?"

Clockwork paused for a moment, then looked in the direction of the campfire.

"He's... Another companion we've picked up along the way. Long story short, he's technically our prisoner that knows what Plasmius is up to. But I sense misguidance in him. He wasn't raised in a good home, but there has to be an inkling of good in him. And I intend to bring the goodness out of him. Now, stay here and make sure Lang doesn't do anything. Lang, if you even try to do something... Our deal is off. Understood?"

Both Lang and Sam nodded. Clockwork gave both of them once last glance before disappearing in the direction of the campfire.

When Clockwork left, Lang gave Sam a seductive grin.

"The ghost child is going to be purring when he sees you in that..." whispered Lang into her ear. Sam's pale face turned several shades of red. She tugged at the corset to try to hide more of her bosom, but it stayed put.

"La-Lang, Clockwork said not to try anything." muttered Sam in embarrassment. Lang let out a laugh, and it's finger trailed around Sam's bare neck. Sam let out a snort, and Lang looked at her in surprise. Sam placed her hands protectively around her neck.

"I'm ticklish, you know." She said awkwardly. Lang smiled as it pried her hands away from her neck.

"You're missing something," it mused. A pondering expression set on Lang's face, and it said no more.

* * *

Clockwork emerged into the campfire site to find Ryan and Danny on polar opposite ends of the camp. Ryan was shivering violently while Danny had a dark expression on his face as he threw a few sticks into the campfire.

"Daniel? Ryan? Care to explain what's going on?" Clockwork said while frowning. Danny glared at Ryan, while Ryan looked like he was about to cry.

"D-Daniel al-almost... His eyes... He got angry, I don't know why, and he started to rage at me. I'm used to yelling, I'm used to people raging at me... But he looked like he was about to murder me..." whispered Ryan. Danny's eyes flashed a dangerous yellow, but he didn't say a word. Instead he threw a large branch into the campfire, sending a giant flame up into the air.

Clockwork floated over to Ryan and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Daniel would never murder you." Clockwork's gaze drifted over to Danny. "Daniel... Is what he said true?"

Danny glared furiously into the fire and crossed his arms. Clockwork sighed.

"Regardless, I've found Sam. She's completely fine."

Danny's demeanor completely transformed in a blink of an eye. His eyes twinkled in excitement and he stood up and flew over to Clockwork.

"She's alive? She's here? Where is she?" he exclaimed happily, shaking Clockwork's shoulders. Clockwork wasn't amused. He gently shoved Danny's hands off his shoulders.

"Slow down, Romeo. Love makes you blind to the hurt you have established with others. I believe you have to make a heartfelt apology to young Ryan here."

Danny's excitement faded as quickly as it came.

"Clockwork, it wasn't my fault! He- he..."

"He did nothing. Don't forget I have a telepathic connection with you, Daniel. Now, apologize."

With a huff Danny floated over to Ryan, who involuntarily shivered in his presence. Danny's eyes softened slightly as he realized that Clockwork was...

...right.

"Ryan... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go off like that... It's just... So hard, you know, to not be jealous of other people's humanity if yours was taken away from you unfairly... I'm not completely stable with my human emotions I have left." muttered Danny softly. Ryan stopped shaking and looked up at his so called 'target'.

"Just be sure you don't do it again," said Ryan harshly as he stood up. The shivers returned as he turned his back on Danny. Clockwork looked at Ryan and gave a loud cough. Ryan's shoulders slumped as he turned back around.

"And I'm sorry too. I'm the one who started it." he said under his breath. Danny gave a nod, and the two awkwardly stood there. Clockwork let out a smile.

"Shall I retrieve Samantha?" He asked. Danny gave a huge grin and nodded, while Ryan just shrugged.

* * *

Lang's pondering silence finally ceased as it snapped its fingers.

"Of course! You're missing a centerpiece to complete your beauty... A necklace."

Sam's eyes widened.

"Oh no, I don't wear necklace-"

With a snap of its fingers a necklace wove its way around Samantha's neck. A black lilac with sharp edges was in the center of the masterpiece, with metallic petals around her neck.

With a wicked laugh it declared, "Samantha. The betrayer."

**Here's an extra long chapter, thanks to a day off of school. Thanks for 107 reviews, and I have a question for you guys. Would you rather have longer chapters like this one every two days, or short chapters every day? Leave a review, and next chapter will be posted tomorrow. **


	12. Chapter 12

**I don't own DP!**

I paced back and forth at the campsite, impatiently waiting for Sammy. I felt Ryan's eyes glued onto me as I paced back and forth.

"Daniel, why is seeing this... Samantha so important to you?" asked Ryan curiously. I stopped pacing for a moment and looked at him with a dead serious glare.

"She's the only thing that has me holding onto my sanity. She's the rose in the garden of thorns, it is the east, and Sam is the sun, she is the night to my day, she-"

He interrupted me with a widened gaze looking behind me.

"She's beautiful..."

With a blink I looked at him, and then turned around. My jaw absolutely dropped to the ground and plowed a hole through the earth at the earth at that moment.

The first thing I noticed was her creamy white shoulders- bare shoulders. Her skin was pulling me in like a magnet, and I was being pulled in against my will. She still looked human, same beautiful lilac eyes peering into my soul, and same raven black hair shimmering like the night sky. My eyes trailed down from her head to her... My face turned a bright red. She had... Curves. Very, very-

_BAD PHANTOM_! Stop looking there!

I tried to rip my gaze away from her curves, but a peculiar necklace resting between them caught my eye. It was a black flower, with metallic leaves around her neck. With one final glance I finally ripped my gaze away from there. I then looked at her in a whole. Her dress was breathtaking. It suited her so... Perfectly.

"Done ogling Samantha?" coughed Ryan. I blinked and finally met Sammy's gaze. Her cheeks had turned a very rosy pink, and her arms had crossed in front of her chest protectively.

"Hey Da-Danny..." She greeted softly in embarrassment. "Sorry about the outfit. Lang here decided to be a prankster and transform my o-"

"It looks beautiful on you." I whispered in awe. Without another word I ran over to her and engulfed her in a massive hug. She shivered slightly at my touch, but snuggled into me naturally. It felt so good to be in her arms again.

"Clockwork? We're done escorting Samantha. Can we please leave?" asked the so called 'Lang' impatiently. Clockwork said yes and I heard the rustling of the dead leaves as they flew away.

Ryan awkwardly looked down at his feet.

"I'll... Just leave you guys alone for a moment." More dead leaves shuffled-

-and then we were completely alone.

Sammy broke from the hug and looked up at me.

"I've missed you so much..." I whispered. I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned in to kiss her. But a gentle finger met my lips instead.

"Danny, we decided to take it slow. Remember?" She whispered with a twinkle in her eye.

Oh.. That's right. Her lips looked so deliciously tempting though...

She gave me a quick squeeze and then laughed. She picked up the bottom of her dress like a princess and then took off running.

"Catch me if you can!" She laughed over her shoulder. My eyes widened in surprise, but then I grinned.

"Oh, it's on." I said in determination.

The chase was so on.

**So, I have come to a conclusion about chapters. I'll do shorter length chapters durning the week, but on Saturdays I'll do extra long chapters. :) Thanks for 121 reviews, and next update will be Monday! Leave a review please. HAVE A GREAT EASTER!**


	13. Chapter 13

**I don't own DP.**

Ryan leaned against an ancient oak tree, his black hair flowing gently in the wind. His gaze was planter firmly on the couple before him. Sam's dress bounced as she ran, and she looked absolutely beautiful. Ryan smirked; Daniel certainly was a lucky guy. His smile grew smaller as he looked back at Samantha. Her smile reminded him so much of before. Before his mom died, and before...

Before Melody's death.

_"Ryan, are you coming?" Her voice was like a melody all by itself, exhaling a tune of cheerfulness and gladness. It was the dead of night in a beautiful garden. Fireflies lit up the sky, illuminating their surroundings. Most of the fireflies were around Melody, however, and she looked beautiful._

_Ryan had made his way to the metal garden gates. His heart skipped a beat when he heard her voice. _

_"I'm comin- whoa..." His mouth dropped as he pushed through the gates. Melody looked... He couldn't even describe how gorgeous she was at that moment. Light brown locks curved gently by her neck, complementing her pale skin perfectly. Bare shoulders reflected the fireflies glow around her, and turquoise blue eyes sparkled in the night. Her dress was a darker shade of turquoise, but still amazing none the less. Ryan was left shockless by her appearance._

_Melody awkwardly fiddled with her dress as she glanced at the ogling Ryan. _

_"Do...you like?" She asked shyly, a blush making her way to her pale cheeks. Ryan could only nod in awestruck wonder._

_"You looked so beautiful..." He whispered. He took a step forward, only to trip on a rock. He fell forward with both arms flailing and he fell on top of Melody. The fireflies scattered for a moment, but then resurronded the fallen couple. _

_Ryan's face was flushed as he stared at the position they were in. He tried to get up, but Melody's hand gently touched his, and he forgot about getting up in that moment. He looked at Melody. Her face was several shades of red as well... But she was smiling. Ryan grinned as well. He caressed her face gently, and then picked up one of her curls and held it against his face. _

_"Your hair is so soft," he said under his breath. Melody let out a quiet giggle as her hand went out to reach his face. She stroked his cheek, and then picked up a strand of his hair. _

_"Yours is softer," she teased. Ryan let out a snort and nuzzled his nose against hers, giving her an Eskimo kiss. _

_"Nah, yours i-" Before he could even finish speaking, she had leaned down and gave him a kiss that tasted sweet as rain. It was a moment he would cherish forever. _

He snapped out of his flashback and looked at the couple running around before him. Danny had been flying by him just at that moment, a look of pure love smothered across his face for Sam. Ryan let out a sigh, and he slid down the oak tree onto the soft grass.

"Don't show her your dark side Romeo... It could ruin everything," he whispered intentionally to Danny, but the only thing that answered back was the echoes of the past, and the sounds of Melody's screams of terror as she took her final breath.

**I'm going to make this short and quick- thank you guys for now 134 reviews. Luci, I'll write your oneshot sometime this week and then post it. As for this story, next update tommorow and leave a review please!**


	14. Chapter 14

**I don't own DP!**

Bright light blinded Lang's eyes as it and Clockwork exited Sam's mind. It blinked a few times before speaking.

"The world is so bright and cheery compared to the _betrayer's_ mind," commented Lang while squinting awkwardly into the room they were now floating in. Clockwork stopped breathing for a moment. His crimson red eyes began to glow as he glared at Lang.

"_Betrayer_? There are many things Samantha is, but a betrayer is not one of them," he stated menacingly. Lang let out a throaty chuckle.

"Betrayer? Oh, Clockwork... You haven't looked into her future, have you? Scared that the daughter you kidnapped-"

"She was abandoned by her parents," growled Clockwork through clenched teeth. Lang rolled its eyes at Clockwork.

"-is going to betray you in the future, and your heart would be broken? I went to the center of her mind, Clockwork. So much lust and longing flows through her core. So much longing that if the unstable ghost boy she's in love with goes insane, she'll do anything to cure his insanity. Even go as far as betray the one who cares about her the most." It paused for a moment dramatically, and then floated over to Clockwork. It jabbed its finger into Clockwork's chest.

"_You_."

Clockwork completely lost it mentally at that point. His eyes grew a poisonous red.

"I haven't looked into her future because she has a right to privacy." Lang snorted.

"Y-you have the power to see all of time and space at one time, and you choose to let her have 'privacy' to protect her? Listen to yourself. You are in denial. You don't want to see how Samantha will betray you," scoffed Lang. "I've seen the future, and she will betray you for that insane ghost boy."

"Daniel is mentally sta-" started clockwork. Lang put its finger gently on Clockwork's lips to shush him.

"Clockwork. Be unbiased and reflect on the words you just spoke. They are all lies, truths you want to believe because you long for them to be true. The ghost boy is unstable mentally. Going through one death's often drives ghosts insane for a small portion of time before coming mentally stable again. They choose one object to obsess over, and in this case... I'm afraid it's Samantha. The ghost will obsess so much over the chosen object it will become insane. Face the facts. Daniel is at the point of insanity," whispered Lang gravely. It removed its finger from Clockwork's lips, and Clockwork grew deadly silent. Silence filled the room, and Clockwork's crimson eyes darkened. Lang patted Clockwork on the shoulder.

"Lets change the subject to something you find much more appealing...

_Melinda_."

**Don't worry, I'll continue this conversational chapter on Thursday. ;) Thanks for 139 reviews, and sorry for the bit shorter chapter than usual. Next update is Thursday, and leave a review please!**


	15. Chapter 15

**I don't own DP!**

"Lang, do you want to break our deal by pushing my buttons the wrong way?" threatened Clockwork. Lang shook its head innocently.

"It's the honest truth. Melinda loves you so much. Isn't it nice to know someone cares about you do much that they will never betray you?" Stated Lang happily with a twinge of sarcasm. Clockwork clenched his firsts in anger... Quite a rare act, since he usually kept his cool under any circumstance.

"Lang. Cease with this particular conversation or the deal. Is. _OFF_."

Its deafening silence was the only reply. Clockwork frowned and looked ahead. Behind him Lang let out a wicked grin while inhaling.

_Your longing for Sam's trust is so... Delicious. Perhaps you will be my next host_... It thought silently to itself.

* * *

Ryan closed his eyes. His heartbeat was throbbing in his chest. What sounded like Melody's screamed in his head, echoes of the past still hurting him emotionally.

_"RYAN!" _

_It was a beautiful summer night. Ryan had carefully hand picked a beautiful sunflower to give to Melody. He grinned as he imagined her surprised reaction. She would reward him with a kiss, he thought dreamily. He rounded the corner to the familiar street that she lived on and expected to see a bright cheery house._

_Ryan was greeted by a burning blaze._

_He quickly dropped the flower and bolted down the street, his heart pounding In his chest. _

_"MELODY!" He screamed in terror. He heaved as he stood there panting in front of the blazing glory of the fire. The bright light reflected off of his shimmering eyes. Ryan looked around frantically for Melody. She was nowher- _

_Wait. _

_She was in a window. Her gaze was firmly planted on the ground, two stories below her. Fear flooded her vision. Her light brown hair flipped back and forth between the burning fire behind her and the ground two stories below her. Melody spotted Ryan and began to scream. _

_"RYAN!" _

_She began to cough horribly because of the smoke. Ryan stood helplessly in the front yard._

_"MELODY! JUST JUMP!" He screamed at her. Tears were running down Melody's face. _

_"I-I can't! I'm scared of heights..." She whimpered. Ryan swallowed a lump chockfull of emotion. _

_"Jump! I'll catch you in my arms and never let you go!" He yelled in encouragement. Melody swayed back and forth in a hazy daze. _

_"Ryan, I love you. But I- AHHHH!" A dark shadowy silhouette knocked her down, and the flames consumed them both. _

_"MELODY!" He cried out in despair. He reached his hand out to the window before collapsing on the ground in heaping sob. Before Ryan knew it, he heard the sound of sound of wailing sirens pull up to the house. He heard the sounds of rushing water destroying the fire that destroyed Melody. A chilled hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked up with bloodshot eyes. Before him stood Amity Park's mayor- _

_Vlad Masters. _

**Heheh, another cliffie. I know, I'm so terrible. But that's what keeps you guys hooked, right? Thanks for 151 reviews! Next update- **

**Liney: -is tommorow! Leave a review please!**


	16. Chapter 16

**I don't own DP! **

_"Ryan... I am deeply sorry for your loss. First your mother, and now Melody...? You must be heartbroken," said Vlad sadly. Ryan's breath caught in his throat._

_"How do you know about my mother? And how do you know Melody's name?" He spat out between sobs. Vlad patted him on the back and helped him stand up._

_"I'm the mayor. It's my duty to know the lives of my citizens and to protect them at any cost. Unfortunately, I arrived here a moment too late.. my deepest apologizes, Ryan." Vlad looked back at the now smoking house. The fire had been put out, and Melody's body had been pulled out on a white stretcher. Ryan looked at Melody's now dead body. Tears filled his eyes as he walked over to her._

_"M...m...Mel..."_

_He began to see stars, and fainted on the spot._

_The next thing Ryan heard was the sound of a heart monitor. He blinked a couple times before opening his eyes completely. Ryan was in a decent sized hospital room. Everything had either the color scheme of white or a light green, and it smelled like sanitizer. Glancing around, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Why was he here...?_

_Tears sprung to his eyes as he remembered exactly why he was here. An attractive nurse came in to check on him, and she gasped in surprise_.

_"You're awake!" she exclaimed. Her blonde hair bounced as she bent down to check his temperature. "It's been a couple days! Fever's gone down too. I'll go get the doc!" She gave him a wink before she left the room in excitement. Ryan felt queasy at the nurse's flirty attitude. His stomach agreed. He vomited into a bucket near him just as the doctor came in._

_"Feel a bit queasy still, Ryan? Glad to see your awake now. I'm sorry about what happened. But here's a bit of good news." the doctor said slowly. Ryan looked at the doctor weakly. One thing that popped out at Ryan as he looked at the doctor was the odd scar across the eye of the middle aged man. It was semi-visible, and it looked out of place. It almost appeared to be like a lightning bolt._

_"D...doctor...? What's with the scar...?" He managed to get out. The words felt awkward rolling off his tongue, because he had not spoke for a day or two. The doctor's hand flew self consciously towards his scar and he let out a nervous chuckle._

_"It's... A long story. But listen closely. The next few minutes in this hospital room you will not remember until I say the words "You are the redeemed."," the doctor said in a hushed tone. Ryan raised his eyebrows in confusion._

_"The redeemed...? What the heck does that me-"_

_"Time. Out."_

_The room suddenly became frozen in time. Only the doctor and Ryan were moving._

_Ryan began to freak out. He began to freak out even more when he saw the so called 'doctor' turn into a ghost with a hooded purple cloak._

_"This has to be a nightmare. This has to be a nightmare," shuddered Ryan to himself, frantically trying to get himself off of the tubes supplying him with oxygen. The ghost placed a hand on Ryan's shaking one._

_"Ryan. I'm the good guy. My name is Clockwork, time master of the ghost zone. In the near future you will fall into darkness, but one will draw you back into the light. You will learn to love again-"_

_Ryan's whole body began to shake at this point._

_"I will never learn to love again! How can you say that! Me-Mel was killed in that freakin' fire, and you have the absurdity to say-"_

_"That you will learn to love Melody again when you see her in the ghost zone after our journey is complete."_

_Ryan let out a wide smile, and his eye began to twitch._

_"Oh, ghost zone? I- this is all just a bad dream, right? Ill wake up and see Melody waiting for me so we can go to the garden again! That's it!" He muttered excitedly to himself. Clockwork sighed and resisted the urge to just drag him in the ghost zone at that moment._

_"No, I'm afraid it's not. Darkness is going to pull you in by the seams, and he's about to arrive. You will hate me when you first see me again, but when the time is right you will see your grave mistakes. You will forget everything I just told you." He said solemnly. He closed his crimson eyes and with major concentration created the doctor persona once again and slipped into it._

_"Time. In."_

_Ryan blinked a couple times before opening his eyes. A doctor with an odd scar stood before him with a solemn look on his face._

_"Wh-who are you? Are you the doctor the nurse sent for?" asked Ryan curiously. The 'doctor' smiled._

_"I'm a friend." Clockwork said softly. The flirty nurse came back in._

_"Sir, there's a visitor! It's the mayor," she said excitedly. Clockwork showed no emotion on his face as he nodded._

_"Let him in," he instructed. The nurse waved in the mayor. He sauntered in with a crisp business suit on, tailored perfectly for him and him alone. He blew a kiss to the nurse. The nurse swooned and exited out the door. Vlad looked at the pale Ryan, and then to Clockwork in surprise._

_"...'Doctor', may I speak to Ryan for a moment? Alone?" he asked with a glare. Clockwork let out a small smile._

_"I'm sorry, but he's under my direct supervision. I can promise you nothing you say will be used against you in court," he joked in a solemn tone. Vlad growled under his breath before plastering on a fake smile._

_"Very well. Ryan... I am deeply sorry for your loss. And I'm even sadder to say... Your father has been killed in a collapsed building."_

_Ryan began to weep, and pulled his legs tightly to his chest. Vlad patted Ryan on the back awkwardly._

_"I'm so sorry... You have nothing left. But I am offering you a chance of a life time. You can live with me in my mansion, and I can teach you a very special trade that many people only wish they could have. What do you say?"_

_Ryan swallowed a lump back from the back of his throat, and looked up into the 'caring' eyes of Vlad Masters._

_The only option he had was to say yes._

_He nodded._

**Thanks for 159 reviews! Thanks for all of you who have stuck through with me through thick and thin. *hugs* Next update is tomorrow, and leave a review please!**


	17. Chapter 17

**I don't own DP!**

"We're here, Lang." said Clockwork harshly. Lang looked at Clockwork, and then to the layer of Technus.

"Thank you for escorting me," said it sarcastically. "But.."

"Technus, come out at once!" demanded Clockwork. The hipster ghost crankily opened up his layer's door.

"Why, if it isn't the great and oh so powerful Clockwork! Have you come to get me and my rad devices into the prison cell of hipness?" Technus sneered. Clockwork shook his head and shoved Lang in his general direction.

"Lang here has been feasting on my apprentice's emotions, so I brought it here so you can hook it up to a dating website and let it infest that instead," explained Clockwork. Technus's eyes grew wide in excitement.

"Far out! Wait... What's in it for me?" asked Technus suspiciously. Clockwork let out a knowing grin.

"I won't report you to Walker for illegally hooking up Lang here to the site, and I'll let Walker know that you have a get out of jail free card if you do end up in prison." bargained Clockwork. Technus looked at Clockwork, and then at Lang.

"Fab! Yo dog, the dating website will be right down your alley!" said Technus happily. He placed an arm around Lang's shoulder and led him inside. Lang had a look of absolute horror on his face.

"Have fun!" yelled Clockwork as the door closed. He could hear Technus blabbering on about 'hip and funky' the dating site was, and Clockwork let out a grin. Without another word he clicked the top of his staff and teleported himself back into Sam's mind.

* * *

Ryan jolted out of his haunted daydream when he heard the rustling of leaves.

"Wh-who's there?" He asked. Clockwork then emerged from the shadows and smiled. Ryan frowned at the sight of Clockwork and looked the other way.

"Oh. It's you," humphed Ryan. He brushed back a strand of loose hair behind his ear and looked at Sam and Danny. They had managed to trip over each other and land in the exact same position Ryan and Melody did way too recently. Ryan immediately looked away and tried to avoid the tears pricking at the corner of his eye.

"Ryan? Is something wrong?" asked Clockwork softly. Ryan didn't meet Clockwork's gaze.

"No," he muttered. Clockwork sighed and floated over to him. He placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It reminds you too much of the past, doesn't it?" Clockwork said out loud. Ryan jerked Clockwork's hand off of his shoulder.

"How do you know about that?" he demanded harshly. Clockwork let out a small smile.

"I'm the time master of all the ghost zone. Really, Ryan..._ You are the redeemed. Don't_ you remember anything?"

Ryan's eyes grew wide, and memories suddenly flashed back to the day in the hospital room.

_'You are the redeemed.'_

_'In the near future you will fall into darkness...' _

_'You will learn to love Melody again...' _

"It was you..." said Ryan in awe. His eyes widened as other memories flashed through his mind... Memories of training to kill Danny and Clockwork. He looked at Clockwork with shame in his eyes.

"I was trained to kill you? Oh, man... Clockwork, I'm sorry..." apologized Ryan weakly. Clockwork patted Ryan's shoulder.

"You didn't remember. But know you do."

Ryan's mind rotated on the word 'the redeemed.' He looked at Clockwork, question marks dancing in his eyes.

"Clockwork? Explain to me why I'm the redeemed?"

**Thanks for 173 reviews, and next update will be Monday! :) **


	18. Chapter 18

**I don't own DP! **

Sammy was squirming underneath my arms after I had pinned her to the ground. My heart was pulsing, and it felt like we were the only two people in the world at that moment. Her purple stained lips looked so deliciously tempting... I leaned in to kiss her. Instead I was greeted by a flick to my face.

"Ow!" I cried in surprise. "What was that for?"

Sam let our a wicked grin as she rolled out from under me and began to run away.

"For not taking the words 'taking it slow' seriously," she said while frowning a bit. A tongue sticking out afterward kinda ruined her serious image. I laughed and began to fly full speed at her. She suddenly stopped in her tracks, and I helplessly flew past her. I was heading straight towards the woods towards the now apparent Clockwork and Ryan. I tried to stop, I honestly did, but I was going to fast. I heard Ryan ask something about a "redeemed".

"WATCH OUT!" I screamed before crash landing into them.

We all tumbled into a major dogpile. Ryan's hair was all messed up, and Clockwork's hood had become crooked. I got off and brushed myself off. Both of them looked kinda ticked at me. I smiled sheepishly and rubbed my neck nervously.

"Er... Sorry? I tried to stop!" I exclaimed in protest. Clockwork didn't seemed to enthralled at my apology, and he simply laughed in my face instead.

"You have the knack for interrupting at just the right moments, don't you?" He said with a grin. I smiled sheepishly again.

"Sorry. Sam just-"

"I know," he said. "Now, Daniel, go back and enjoy some more time with Samantha. I have something to discuss with Ryan.

I raised an eyebrow in confusion, but spending more time with Sammy did sound pretty tempting. I simply shrugged and flew back to Sammy, who was now sitting in the grass picking flowers. She smiled when she saw me fly over.

"Smooth Danny. Reaaaaal smooth," she complimented sarcastically. I felt a blush rise up to my cheeks.

"You're the one who caused it," I muttered under my breath. She smiled, but when she looked down her smile disappeared. Without thinking I reached out and caressed her cheek. I brought her face up to meet my worried gaze.

"Sammy, what's wrong?' I asked. She brushed my hand away from her cheeks and fiddled with a nearby lily instead. I gently grabbed the flower from her and placed it behind her ear.

"Sam. What's wrong?" When she didn't answer, I closed my eyes in concentration and tried to read her mind.

_The betrayer. The betrayer. The betrayer. _

The same two words kept echoing in her head.

"Sam? The betrayer...? What's going on?"

Sam's eyes began to water.

"I- I don't even know. I don't know why I'm the betrayer..."

My heart stopped.

Sam... Was a _betrayer? _

**Wait, wait, wait! The chapter's not over. My friend in real life, 'Jellybean', took a big black marker and made some verrrrry interesting revisions to this chapter. Her revisions are in bold below. Jellybean, what do you have to say for yourself?**

**Jellybean: I regret nothing...**

**Me: Are you positive? *glares you down***

**Jellybean: *looks up meekly* ...yes.**

***rolls eyes and snorts* Regardless, here are her revisions! And she'll be... "revising" my chapters three more times this story! Enjoy!**

**Jellybean: Yah, enjoy!:)**

Sammy was **spitting** underneath my arms after I had **torn** her to the ground. My heart was pulsing, and it felt like we were the only two **monkeys** in the world at that moment. Her purple stained butt looked so deliciously tempting... I leaned in to kiss her. Instead I was greeted by a flick to my face.

"**Pickles**!" I cried in surprise. "What was that for?"

Sam let our a wicked **laugh** as she rolled out from under me and began to** lick my face. **

"For not taking the words '**bros before hoes**' seriously," she said while burping a bit. A tongue sticking out afterward kinda ruined her serious image. I laughed and began to **ogle** full speed at her. She suddenly stopped in her tracks, and I helplessly **ogled** past her. I was heading straight towards the woods towards the now apparent Clockwork and Ryan. I tried to **scream**, I honestly did, but I was going to fast. I heard Ryan ask something about a "redeemed".

"WATCH OUT!" I screamed before crash landing into them.

We all stepped into a major dogpile. Ryan's hair was all messed up, and Clockwork's hood had become **mushy**. I got off and brushed myself off. Both of them looked kinda ticked at me. I smiled evilly and **scratched** my **butt** nervously.

"Er... Sorry? I tried to stop!" I exclaimed in **excitement**. Clockwork didn't seemed to enthralled at my apology, and he simply laughed in my face instead.

"You have the knack for interrupting at just the right moments, don't you?" He said with a **limp**. I **nashed** sheepishly again.

"Sorry. **The monkey**-"

"I know," he said. "Now, **cutie**, go back and enjoy some more time with the monkey. I have something to discuss with **Brave Sir Arthur of Camelot**."

I raised an eyebrow in thought, but spending more time with Sammy did sound pretty awful. I simply shrugged and **slip n slided **back to **the monkey**, who was now sitting in the grass picking flowers. She smiled when she saw me slide over.

"**Yah, real smooth**, Danny. Reaaaaal smooth," she complimented sarcastically. I felt a blush rise up to my cheeks.

"You're the one who caused it," I muttered under my breath. She smiled, but when she looked down her smile disappeared. Without thinking I reached out and caressed her cheek. I brought her face up to meet my angry glare.

"Sammy, what's wrong?' I asked.

**"YOU'RE THE PROBLEM!"** She brushed my hand away from her cheeks and fiddled with a nearby **violin** instead. I gently grabbed the **violin** from her and placed it behind her ear.

"Sam. What's **up**?"

When she didn't answer, I closed my eyes in **frustration** and tried to read her mind.

**_The monkey. The monkey. The monkey. _**

The same two words kept echoing in her head over and over until **they rolled down a hill and died in her head. **

"Sam? The **booger**...? What's going on?"

Sam's eyes began to water.

"I- I don't even know. I don't know why I'm the **booger**..."

My heart stopped.

Sam... Was a **_booger_**?

**...that will not influence this plot at all! But this is what jellybean 'revised', and I thought it was pretty funny. So give her some love! She doesn't have an account, but just leave a review for her(and for the ACTUAL PART OF THE STORY IN THE TOP HALF OF THIS) and me in the reviews! Thanks for 180 reviews, and next update is tommorow!**


	19. Chapter 19

**I don't own DP!**

"So, where were we?" asked Clockwork after Danny flew back to Sam. Ryan looked down at the forest floor.

"I... Was asking you what 'the redeemed' meant. And I remember what happened at the hospital those few minutes now..." Ryan stated slowly. "And you have to tell me what that phrase means. And-"

He had a small glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Where Melody is. You said that I would 'learn to love her again.' Where is she?" he demanded. Clockwork smiled and leaned down to pick up an alive leaf in the sea of dead leaves.

"See this leaf, Ryan?" Clockwork asked him. Ryan nodded in confusment. What did a leaf have to do with Melody?

"Er... Yes?"

Clockwork fiddled with the leaf.

"What do you notice about this leaf?"

Ryan examined the leaf. It was rather vibrant in a tangy orange color, and full of life. It wasn't brown and fragile like the rest of the dead leaves were.

"It's... alive? It's the only alive thing in this entire mess of leaves," he commented. Clockwork nodded in approval, and then promptly ripped the leaf in two.

"Now observe what happened to the leaf," stated Clockwork. He set the torn leaf in Ryan's hands. Ryan fingered the leaf softly.

"It's ripped in two," he stated obviously. Clockwork raised an eyebrow.

"And?" He prompted. The vibrant orange leaf suddenly began to wilt. It was starting to become a faded brown, just like all the other leaves.

"It's dying. It's just going to be dead like the other leaves."

Then clockwork paused for a moment.

"Humor me, Ryan. Convince yourself that you really want this particular leaf to live. Close your eyes and say to yourself that you reallllly want this life force to live."

Ryan gave Clockwork an 'are you serious?' look.

"You're joking, right?" he asked.

"Humor me" was the only response he got out of the old time master. Ryan sighed and looked at the dying leaf. He closed his eyes in concentration.

_I want this leaf to come back to life. _

He thought that phrase with a passion, trying to make himself believe that he wanted the leaf to. And the more he thought about it, the more he did. Inside himself... He felt some force fighting within in. It wanted to get out, so badly... Ryan let out a scream and let it come out full force, and the pain stopped. He shook in fear and kept his eyes closed shut.

"Ryan, Ryan! Open your eyes!"

Ryan shakily opened his eyes.

"Wha- what did I do?" He asked in fear. Clockwork grinned.

"The redeemed. Look down at your 'dead leaf.'"

Ryan looked down, expecting to see a wilted leaf.

Instead he was holding a vibrant orange... _Alive_ leaf.

Clockwork began to explain. "The redeemed- one who was saved from darkness and has the power to save others from the same darkness of death. That's what the redeemed means."

**Sorry for the shortness. D: **

**Thanks everyone for supporting Jellybean! And just a little comment from her herself: **

**Jellybean: Thanks for the comments everyone!:) and you'll definitely be seeing more of my shenanigans in the future!:) **

**And that part is true. She'll be 'revising' my chapters three more times before this story is over. **

**But thank you all for now 193 reviews! Only 7 more reviews until it reaches 200! Next update is Thursday, and hope you all have a great day!**


	20. Chapter 20

**I don't own DP!**

"Sammy? You.. You can't be serious. You can't be a betrayer," I whispered in disbelief. Sam's beautiful eyes glittered with fresh tears. Sammy was utterly perfect in my eyes. She didn't have a single flaw.

After all, that's the way she became my obsession. It's the one thing that keeps me still sane for the moment. When Clockwork taught me about the stages a ghost goes through, he said the first stage was a direct obsession with an object or person in particular.

"It's the only thing," Clockwork had stated in one lesson, "that keeps ghosts sane. If they lose that obsession, they go completely insane. Insanity is a vital part to becoming fully ghost, because it releases all the human emotions, but then keeps certain human emotions that led to their obsession in the first place. It's also a natural part of becoming a ghost. The good thing is you only go insane for a certain amount of time. That time is determined by what age you died at. In your case, you would only go insane for sixteen years."

I had given a sarcastic remark back, but it honestly scared the heck out of me that I would go insane. Clockwork also said that new ghosts could go without finding an obsession for five years and still be sane. If they didn't find an obsession within five years, they would just go insane earlier than normal.

I was without an object of obsession for four years when I first became a 'full' ghost. I was constantly searching for something, but nothing seemed to click. That continued until the day Clockwork brought Sammy home for the first time.

* * *

_"Daniel, when I return from my mission, we will resume your studies in a remote location." _

_I had looked up from my work in shock. I was still a very new ghost at the time, and I had been studying in Clockwork's tower the entire time. _

_"Why the sudden change in location?" I asked confused. Clockwork looked out one of the towers windows. _

_"I'm brining back a very special child, a child that will change the future of both you and me. For reasons I can not say, you must not let her know of your existence. You may, however, observe her from a distance." _

_I laughed. _

_"What, is letting this kid know I exist going to ruin her entire futur-" _

_Clockwork gave me a dead serious glare. I stopped talking. _

_It felt like hours, but Clockwork finally returned with a bundle in his arms. I rushed over to him to see what was in that bundle. _

_"Shhh... She's sleeping..." Shushed Clockwork. I peered over and saw a delicate little creature. She had soft, soft raven black hair. She suddenly opened her mouth to yawn, and her eyes opened. They were a beautiful shade of lilac._

_"What's her name?" I asked curiously. Clockwork let out a tired smile. _

_"Samantha. Samantha Manson. Though now she'll just be referred to as Samantha. This will be the last time you'll be able to show your face to her. You can watch her grow up, but you can't interfere in any way. Understood?" _

_I did understand, and I watched little Sammy grow up. That, that became my new obsession. I watched her bounce her way into a self determined little thing, and then... Then to a beautiful teenager. _

* * *

Sammy. My obsession.

The one with no flaws.

The one who was so mistakenly called the betrayer.

**Thanks for 202 reviews! Next update will be tomorrow, and leave a review please!**


	21. Chapter 21

**I don't own DP!**

"Sammy, you can't possibly be a bet-" I started out.

"Daniel, Samantha, I have to explain a few things to you," interrupted Clockwork. I glanced up and saw both him and Ryan come towards us. Ryan looked really nervous for some reason, and kept looking at the ground. Clockwork, however, had a sorrowful look when he saw Sam.

A thought suddenly struck me like a ton of bricks. Maybe Clockwork knew why Sam was the betrayer?

"Hey Clockwork," I asked as casually as possible, "do you know why Sammy's a 'betrayer'? What's going on?"

Clockwork's gaze suddenly turned to me. He had a sharp emotional pain shimmering in his eyes.

"I don't know. I honestly don't know. But I have a suspicion of why she might be a betrayer. It's just not logical, and it will not be explored further at this moment. But it doesn't matter, because she is not, and will not, be a betrayer of any sort. Not now. Not ever. Not my little girl," he stated firmly. I was going to open my mouth to protest about the information he was withholding from us, but he gave me such an angry glare that I went dead silent.

Clockwork didn't mention another word about Sammy being a betrayer when the awkward silence was over.

"Now, Ryan is a good companion to all of us now. He is no longer our prisoner. He is a friend."

Both mine and Sammy's mouths dropped in astonishment.

"You have to be kidding," Sam muttered under her breath.

"I'm not," responded Clockwork. "He had a bit of a revelation, and he discovered a few vital things that are essential to our journey ahead. If you object to having Ryan being a friend, don't hate him. Try harder to be a friend. Understood?" said Clockwork firmly. Sam and I looked at each other, and then back at Clockwork.

"Understood!" We said in unison. Clockwork smiled.

"Good. Now we need to get some rest for the night. Daniel, you will prepare the campfire. Samantha, you shall prepare the sleeping areas. Ryan, come with me."

All three of us shot Clockwork a questioning gaze.

"Uh, Clockwork? I'm a ghost. You're a ghost. We don't need sleep." I said very obviously. Clockwork motioned towards Ryan and Sammy.

"Ryan and Samantha are humans. And they need sleep. Samantha, I'll try to bring back suitable sleep wear. Your dress would be extremely uncomfortable to sleep in."

I almost swore that Sam had a light blush flutter across her cheeks when Clockwork said that. She nodded and paced around the clearing we had ended up in, trying to look for a suitable sleeping area. I stood up and flew off to look for firewood, and I noticed Ryan and Clockwork head back into the woods.

* * *

**(Third person) **

Ryan was shaking like a leaf. Moments ago he had just found out that he could bring things back to live, and it was freaking the heck out of him.

"Clockwork?" He asked. Clockwork looked at him. He swallowed, and then continued.

"Did... Vlad know I have this power of bringing... things back to life?" He asked quietly. Clockwork's eyes darkened.

"Well, he'll be very mad to know you're on our side now. And yes, he did. That's why he arranged for all the deaths to happen for you."

Ryan stopped walking in his tracks.

"He did _WHAT?" _

**Thanks for 211 reviews! Hope you liked this chapter, and next update will be tomorrow! Leave a review please! **


	22. Chapter 22

**I don't own DP!**

Clockwork looked at the now furious Ryan. Anger blocked out Ryan's vision, and he was fuming.

"Vlad was the one behind the deaths of my mom? My dad? Melody?"

His voice was shaky now. Emotion was evident in his cracking voice.

"I'm sorry to tell you that it's the truth. Vlad is the darkest darkness the world has even seen," apologized Clockwork quietly. Ryan let out a scream and punched a nearby tree. His hand began to bleed, and he cursed in pain.

"Ryan, calm down. Getting angry isn't going to help your situation. Your skin is dead on your hand now... Perhaps you could bring in back to life?" suggested Clockwork quickly in order to change the topic. Ryan just glared at him, but then looked down at his bleeding hand.

_I want my freakin' hand to stop bleeding_, he thought sourly. He felt the same surge of energy flow out of his body. This time, he watched in fascination as his flesh wound behind to heal. A bright light blue pulsed around his hand. The blood oozing out of his hand ceased to flow, and the skin began to meld together once more.

"Thi... This is amazing..." whispered Ryan in awe. Clockwork smiled and sighed in relief. Ryan was too fascinated by his newly healed hand to remember what Clockwork had said only moments before.

* * *

Sam stumbled as she tripped over a rock. She scowled in anger and pushed herself off the ground. Sam was about to stand up, but a shiny light in the woods caught her eye. It was a pulsating light blue light. Her feet voluntarily got off the ground and unconsciously started to drift towards it. Her now torn dress dragged across the leaves, creating a ripple of leaves trailing behind her.

The light grew stronger and stronger. Sam was nearing the woods now. Her heart beat fast inside her chest, and she was in total awe of it. She ran now. The leaves lifted up into the air behind her, creating a rain of leaves, raining down from above. The light was oh so close when suddenly it stopped. Sam's face showed a total dismay. She groaned and slowed to a stop. She fell down in a pile of leaves. Looking up at the night sky, she just had to wonder-

What was that thing?

* * *

Danny was enjoying the breeze flowing through his hair from flying so fast. He had spotted fire wood from a magnificent oak tree, and he was determined to get it. He slowed to a stop as he neared the giant oak, and looked up at all of its branches. Danny was about to let out a ghostly wail to easily shake down all the branches when he heard another scream. He blinked in surprise. That didn't sound like Sam... It almost sounded like Ryan. A smirk passed over Danny's face.

_Serves Ryan right_, he thought smugly to himself. _Let him have a bit of pain for being oh so human. _

Danny's smirk disappeared as he thought about the words of Clockwork echo in his mind however.

_If you object to having Ryan being a friend, don't hate him. Try harder to be a friend. _

Danny shook off the guilty vibe he got from that sentence. Clockwork really didn't mean that. Ryan must have been cunning enough to convince Clockwork he was an ally, and if he was that cunning...

..he would be an even more dangerous enemy.

**Thanks for 218 reviews! Next update will be Monday, and leave a nice review please! :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**I don't own DP!**

Logs shifted uneasily around in my arms as I hobbled my way back to the campsite. I had gathered a bit too much wood... Ah well. The other pieces could be used for target practice or something. When I reached the assigned campfire area, I dropped the wood in a huff and looked up. In the sleeping area, Sammy was playing with-

Wait. What the heck was that thing?

It had a frog head, yet it had the body and wings of a bird. It had frog legs though... But it had a tail of a bird! It was hopping around Sammy, and she was trying to catch it.

I raised an eyebrow and flew over there.

"Sammy? What... Is that thing?" I asked. Sam giggled.

"You don't know? This is a froird. It's the halfbreed of a frog prince and a fairy. Though the fairy form in this particular one happens to be a bird. Clockwork taught me that when I was younger," explained Sammy. The frog thing looked innocently at me before suddenly leaping up and pouncing on my face.

"AHHHH!" I screamed, and I began to run around in a circle. "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!"

I heard Sammy laugh uncontrollably as this demented thing clung to my face tightly. I clawed at my face, and eventually the thing flew off. I was ready to blast that thing to pieces. But Sammy apparently wasn't about to let that happen.

"Don't shoot lil' Dale!" she said while cuddling it protectively. My mouth dropped in protest.

"B-but Dale almost clawed my face off!" I said in major protest. Sammy stroked "Dale's" back, and Dale let out a ribbit. She chuckled, but I was not pleased with this creature. Sammy kissed the top of Dale's warty head.

"We're keeping him. He can be a pet!" She said happily. I swear that little warty frog thing was grinning evilly at me, and it's eyes glowed a vivid red for a nanosecond.

"What about RJJ? He won't like him," I said reasonably, referring to the little kitten we had left at home for safety measures. Sammy smiled.

"They can be best friends! Froirds are very friendly."

I resisted the urge to facepalm several times.

* * *

A pair of tired midnight blue eyes blinked a few times before once more glancing at the camera recording the soft robotic froird. _Daniel was fuming at the thing_, thought the controller with a smile. _But Samantha decided to keep it. Good. Very good... I can track their progress. _

A quiet mew interrupted the controller's thoughts. He looked up to see a white Persian cat nuzzling his legs affectionately.

"Ah, hello Maddie... What's that? You want some food?" asked the controller of the froird. Maddie mewed excitedly and the controller smiled.

"Alright. Hang on just a second. I need to see their progress for a few more secon-"

"MEOW!" The cat was clearly ticked off, and wanted its food now! The owner sighed.

"Fine Maddie! Daddy Vlad will get your food right now. Sheesh..."

Vlad got up and walked over to the kitchen to retrieve some cat food. Maddie was purring up a storm as Vlad poured some scrumptious food into a bowl. He set it down, and Maddie was about to pounce right in when suddenly out of the shadows a bright orange kitten jumped out. The seemingly floating cat hovered above the mouth-watering cat food and pounced right in, devouring every little morsel. Maddie was meowing in distress, but Vlad was fascinated. He scooped the orange ghost kitten up.

"Who do you belong to?" He asked curiously. The cat lady who had lived next door to him died ages ago. Maybe it was one of her cats? A shiny spiked collar caught his eye however. It looked oddly like...

An evil grin spread across his face.

It looked like this little troublemaker belonged to Samantha.

**Sorry I didn't update last night... I was in a terrible mood and yeaaaaa... Hope this longer chapter made up for it! This is both for yesterday and today's chapter, because I have a writing test later today and I won't feel like writing afterwards. Thanks for all the lovely reviews, and next update will be Thursday! **


	24. Chapter 24

**I don't own DP! **

Vlad grabbed the scruff of the small orange kitten's neck. RJJ mewed in protest, and tried to sink his vicious fangs into Vlad's hand. Vlad merely smirked and suddenly snuggled RRJ closely to his chest. The poor kitten's eyes bulged out of its sockets in absolute horror.

"Samantha would be... Very disappointed if something terrible would happen to you," Vlad murmured in RJJ's ear. He let out a quiet laugh and kissed the top of RJJ's fluffy head. Despite being evil to the core, he still had a soft spot for cats and kittens.

Maddie did not seemed please at Vlad snuggling this- this intruder! She nuzzled her head harshly against Vlad's leg, and he looked down. He set RJJ on his desk and scooped up Maddie. With a glare at the other cat, Maddie happily snuggled up to her master. A beeping noise caught his attention. He looked up at the giant monitors where he could see every movement of his froird camera. Unfortunately, the froird could only transmit picture and not sound back to him. The froird was sent out to locate Samantha and Daniel, and then after locating them track down Ryan to check on his progress. The froird had already found them- it must've found Ryan!

Vlad looked up on the screen, expecting to find Ryan hiding in the shadows. He just wasn't prepared to see what actually was on the screen.

Ryan was walking side by side with Clockwork, holding a large brown paper bag. He was smiling- SMILING- at Clockwork, having a great conversation. Clockwork said something and Ryan laughed. They entered the campsite and greeted Samantha and Daniel. Clockwork shoved the bag towards Samantha, and Samantha awkwardly took the bag.

Vlad was almost raging in fury. His trained apprentice was on their side now? And what valuable information was inside that paper bag?

He slammed his finger down on the command signal for the froird.

"Froird, follow Samantha and see what's inside that bag. It might hold valuable information." He commanded it through a microphone. A green light flash indicated that his plan was accepted by the froird, as should be expected. Froird lept and flew up into Samantha's hair. He could see Samantha laughing and picking the froird up. She turned the froird to her face and said something to it while blushing red. The froird ribbited in response. Samantha rolled her eyes and said something else, then let the froird nestle back onto her head.

She was walking out into the woods. Vlad waited eagerly in anticipation to see what was beheld in the mysterious bag. His eyes widened in confusion when she pulled out a pair of plaid pajama pants and a purple t-shirt. What did that have to do with any-

The next moment mentally scarred him for life. Samantha suddenly took her dress and unzipped it, letting it drop to the ground. Vlad glimpsed her bare skin before ripping his eyes off the screen in absolute horror. So that was what the pajamas were for...

He would have nightmares tonight for sure.

**Well, since you guys were saying how evil Vlad was for stealing RJJ... Heheh, I had fun writing this chapter. Thanks for all your support, and next update is tomorrow! **


	25. Chapter 25

**I don't own DP!**

I looked up and saw Sammy walk back to the campsite in cute pajamas. Her feet were bare, and she looked elegant in a simple way. Her cheeks were tinted pink, and the whole world seemed to stop as I looked at her.

"Dale was acting all wonky when he followed me," she commented as she snuggled the froird. "When I took my pajamas out of the bag and started to change, he began to shake violently and faint on the spot. I thought he was dead! But he wasn't, and he shakily stood up and didn't look at me until I forced him too. It was so odd..." A kiss was planted on the froird's head, and Sammy laughed.

"Are they suitable?" asked Clockwork in concern. Sammy nodded and ran over to hug him. A small pang of jealously jolted through me at their embrace. I wanted to be the one in her arms. Not her father type figure in her arms instead.

"Thank you. How did Ryan fair shopping?"

Clockwork had a grave look on his face as he stepped aside, revealing a quivering Ryan shaking in fear.

"Let's just say that I will never bring him shopping again," said Clockwork with a chuckle. Sammy laughed, and the two of them shared a good chuckle. All of the sudden Dale jumped out of Sammy's hair and glared intently at Ryan. Ryan blinked at the creature.

"Er... Sam...? Your frog thing is staring at me really creepily..." He said slowly. The froird pounced on him and latched onto Ryan's hair. He screamed and ran around.

"Get it off! GET IT OFF!" He yelled. I covered my mouth to contain my silent laughter.

"Try smashing your head into a tree. That will work," I commented with a smirk. Sammy's eyes grew wide as saucers.

"D-Danny! Don't be mean to Froird! I learned that he doesn't like water when I stopped for a drink. You would think he would love it, being half frog and all. Try bringing him to the river a couple feet into the woods!" she said fiercely to me, and then the second part to the freaked out Ryan.

"O-okay! Okay!" He said, and bolted into the woods.

* * *

**(Third Person)**

He was out of breath as he dashed into the woods, frantically trying to find a river. He let out a sigh of relief as he saw the sparkling oasis right in front of him.

"Okay. Thing, time for you to get the heck off of my head!" he growled to the Froird. He immersed his head into the water, and the froird latched itself off his head and flew into the air. Ryan gasped for breath as he flung his head out of the water again, and stared angrily at the froird.

"What's your deal? Do you hate me or something?" He growled. A small blue light pulsed on the froird's head, which Ryan raised his eyebrows in confusion too. Suddenly a blue hologram pulsed from the froird's head, revealing none other than Vlad Plasmius.

"Ryan. You have some... Explaining to do," hissed Vlad angrily. Ryan gulped and stood up with his hair dripping wet.

"I-I can explain! I- I- I-"

**I think it's time for jellybean to interfere with this chapter! But since she's not responding, her "revision" of this chapter shall have to be delayed until tomorrow! Thanks for all of your support, and next chapter update shall be tomorrow**!


	26. Chapter 26

**Unfortunately, due to email malfunctions, Jellybean's revisions shall have to wait until another chapter. I don't own DP! **

"What do you think you're doing, you little tramp?" Snarled Vlad. "You're supposed to be hunting the intruders down, not joining them on their quest!"

Ryan began to shake, partially from the cold water he was standing in and partially from the tone of voice Vlad was shouting at him in. But he frowned angrily as he realized why he joined the good side in the first place.

"You. Murderer," whispered Ryan in absolute fury. "You killed my father, you killed my mother... You even killed melody. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Vlad wore a grim smile of satisfaction on his face.

"Their screams were music to my ears," he said sweetly. That statement broke something inside of Ryan's shattered heart, and with a scream he ran over to the froird and smashed it with his foot. The froird let out a robotic croak before dying under the heel of his shoe. Ryan panted and hesitantly lifted his foot up. Vlad's hologram had disappeared, but the sickly sweet words still lingered in the air.

_Music to his ears. _

Ryan let out another scream as he collapsed into the river, memories of his parent's deaths and Melody's wash over him in new agony.

* * *

I heard screams. Screams of terror. All three of us looked in the direction of the woods where Ryan had ran off only minutes before. We looked at each other before racing off to find Ryan.

We found him in the river, crying hysterically and shaking violently. I scooped him up out of the river and set him down on dry ground as quickly as possible.

"Ryan! Ryan! What's wrong?" asked Sammy worriedly. Choked sobs were his only response. He was chattering now too. Clockwork looked at me.

"He might catch hypothermia if he stays in the wet clothes too long. I had also purchased night wear for him as well when we got Samantha's night wear. Stay here and stay calm," explained Clockwork. He flew out of the river area, leaving me with the crying mess and Sammy. Thankfully he returned moments later, only with a pair of plaid pants.

"I had only managed to scrape together fifteen dollars, and Samantha's outfit took up most of it," he explained. "So I could only afford pants. I'll calm down Ryan. You and Samantha go wait back at the campsite."

I grabbed Sammy's hand and we left together.

* * *

**(Third person)**

"Ryan, calm yourself. Vlad isn't here anymore. He can't hurt you." said Clockwork in the ancient language of the Observants. The language only allowed truth to be spoken, so when someone did speak the language, it could be trusted. Ryan looked up with tears still flowing freely down his face. Clockwork wiped away the tears and shhhhed him.

"Shhh... It's okay. I've got nice warm pants right here, and then we can all relax by the campfire. It will help you forget what happened, if only for a little bit. Understand?"

Ryan looked at the plaid pants, and then at Clockwork. He awkwardly wiped the tears away from his eyes and grabbed the pants. Clockwork smiled and got up.

"We'll meet you back at the campsite," he said before flying off.

* * *

Clockwork returned to the campsite, and minutes after so did Ryan. He looked extremely fit with no shirt on- a good six pack. I was impressed- the physical capabilities also amounted to fear him more. I hadn't worked out in a while, and he could easily take me on. But when Sammy's gaze trailed over to his bare chest and stuck there, it just added another reason for me to hate him.

Dang Ryan.

**Thanks for your guys support! Next chapter update will be Monday and don't forget to leave a review!**


	27. Chapter 27

**I don't own DP! **

When Sam's stare lingered on Ryan, I was ready to rip out his throat so he couldn't live to tell the tale. Unfortunately, Clockwork just had to say something at that moment.

"Daniel, may I speak with you for a moment?" He asked. I wanted so badly to say no and promptly blast Ryan with an ectoblast, but Clockwork gave me a "the look of impending doom." I sighed- I couldn't say no.

"Fine," I said. I looked at Ryan and gave him a good long glare before heading off with Clockwork to... Talk.

* * *

Sam watched Danny leave, and she noted that he didn't seem too happy about it. A moment passed, and she and Ryan- a shirtless Ryan- were alone. Sam could feel the blush rise to her cheeks in record time, and she tried not to ogle.

"Sam," stated Ryan. His arms subconsciously covered up his bare chest and he really wish he had a shirt at that moment. "Can you stop staring at me? Danny looked like he was going to kill me every time you look at me."

There. He said it. It was awkward to say, but he did it.

Sam's blush turned several shades darker.

"S-sorry. It's just that- well, to put it plainly, I haven't seen very many guys. So when I saw you- a very attractive..." She swallowed back a lump that had formed at the back of her throat, "...shirtless guy... It's kinda hard not to stare."

Ryan blinked in surprise. A pretty girl like her, and she hadn't seen very many guys? Was she really that confined in her mind?

"You're a human, right? And you haven't see-"

Sam didn't meet his gaze.

"I've lived in Clockwork's tower ever since I was young," she said softly. "You're the second human boy I've met."

A picture of Sam as Rapunzel being locked in a tower came to his mind, and he began to chuckle. Sam glared at him angrily.

"It isn't funny!" She said harshly. Ryan tried to cover up his mouth to stifle his laughter.

"H-have you heard of the fairy tale of Rapunzel?"

Sam's eyes widened in horror.

"You mean that young girl that still is locked in her tower to this very day in the abyss of the ghost zone? That story gave me nightmares for months!"

Ryan's jaw dropped. Rapunzel was actually real? Regardless, he shrugged.

"Where I come from, she's just a fairy tale. And when you said you lived in Clockwork's tower all your life, I pictured you as a bright pink sparkly princess," he snickered. Sam's eyes grew wide in horror.

"I-what? I would- never!" Her face sprouted a smile, and soon she was chuckling too. Laughter filled the stilled air, and it could be heard for miles.

It could even be heard by Danny.

**Thanks for your guys support! and now the moment you've all been waiting for- Jellybean's wonderful 'revisions.' Enjoy. ;) **

_When Sam's stench lingered on Ryan, I was ready to rip out his throat so he couldn't live to tell the tale. Unfortunately, Clockwork just had to giggle at that moment._

_"Daniel, may I play with you for a moment?" He asked. I wanted so badly to say no and promptly tickle Ryan with an ectoblast, but Clockwork gave me a "the look of impending doom." I sighed- I couldn't say uncle._

_"Fine," I said. I looked at Ryan and gave him a good long glare before heading off with Clockwork to... Play._

* * *

_Sam watched Danny play, and she noted that he didn't seem too happy about it. A moment passed, and she and Ryan- a drooling Ryan- were alone. Sam could feel the blush rise to her cheeks in record time, and she tried not to pee._

_"Sam," stated Ryan. His arms subconsciously covered up his bare chest and he really wish he had a shirt at that moment. "Can you stop peeing at me? Danny looked like he was going to tickle me every time you look at me."_

_There. He said it. It was awkward to say, but he did it._

_Sam's blush turned several shades black._

_"S-sorry. It's just that- well, to put it plainly, I haven't seen very many guys. So when I saw you- a very attractive..." She swallowed back a lump that had formed at the back of her throat, "...drooling guy... It's kinda hard not to pee."_

_Ryan blinked in surprise. A peeing girl like her, and she hadn't seen very many drooling guys? Was she really that confined in her mind?_

_"You're an alien, right? And you haven't see-"_

_Sam didn't meet his gaze because she was too short._

_"I've lived in Clockwork's tower ever since I was young," she said softly. "You're the second drooling boy I've met."_

_A picture of Sam as the three little pigs being locked in a house came to his mind, and he began to chuckle. Sam glared at him angrily._

_"It isn't funny!" She said harshly. Ryan tried to cover up his mouth with a leaf to stifle his laughter._

_"H-have you heard of the fairy tale of the three little pigs?"_

_Sam's eyes widened in horror._

_"You mean those three young ghost pigs that still are locked in their house to this very day in the abyss of the ghost zone? That story gave me nightmares for months!"_

_Ryan's jaw dropped. Rapunzel was actually real? Regardless, he shrugged._

_"Where I come from, they're just a fairy tale. And when you said you lived in Clockwork's tower all your life, I pictured you as a bright pink sparkly pig," he snickered. Sam's eyes grew wide in horror._

_"I-what? I would- never!" Her face sprouted a smile, and soon she was chuckling too. Laughter filled the stilled air, and it could be heard for miles._

_It could even be heard by Danny._

**Leave a review people! ;) Next chapter update will be tomorrow!**


	28. Chapter 28

**I don't own DP! **

I heard laughter.

I heard _Sammy's_ and _Ryan's_ laughter.

I growled. That jerk, making _my_ girl laugh with his humor and-

"Daniel, need I remind you of what I stated only a few hours ago?" said Clockwork sternly. I jerked my head in his general direction and sighed.

"Treat Ryan as a friend. I know. But Clockwork! He's not trustworthy-" I started off. Clockwork looked at me with a stern glare.

"Have you given him a chance?" asked Clockwork softly. I was about to protest and say I had, but that wasn't honest. I had just judged the jerk by his cover.

I didn't feel the need to flip open the pages.

"Of course, and he's a jerk that hunted us down and now is stealing Sammy from me!" I accused harshly. He was stealing Sammy... My obsession... _My precious_. And he wasn't going to get away with it.

Clockwork's gloved hand suddenly smacked me across the face. I gasped in surprise and glared at him.

"What was that fo-"

"Daniel! Look at yourself. Your obsession with Samantha is getting too dangerous, too evil for your human half to bear. If something does happen to Samantha... You'll go _insane_!" said Clockwork seriously.

_Insane_... That word sent chills down my spine and fear into my heart. I didn't want to go insane. I didn't want to lose Sammy, to lose my life, to lose my humanity.

"Clockwork," I said softly, "I don't want to go insane."

Clockwork's eyes filled with an emotion I hadn't seem from him in a long time- angst.

"Neither did I. I went insane when I was fourteen Daniel... Fourteen... And it was the worst thing I've ever experienced. But look at the outcome: a healthy, stable-"

It was my turn to intrude on his rant.

"-ghost. I love my humanity. I'm not letting it go!" I growled determinedly. Clockwork let out a sigh.

"Daniel... Face the truth. If you could see your reflection right now... Oh, wait. You can. Look into the pond," commanded Clockwork almost in a sarcastic tone. We had come to a small pond. I gave Clockwork an 'are you serious' look and looked at my reflection.

What I saw scared the heck out of me.

Blazing yellow eyes stared back at me, my face a raging monster. My hands were clenched and my breathing was heavy. I had bags under my eyes, and my hair was frizzed up.

"This... Is what you've become." said Clockwork softly. I didn't want to believe him. This- this had to be an illusion! This had to be fake! Clockwork's just trying to spook me, yes, that's all!

"Ha, ha! Veeeeery funny... I know your tricks Clockwork," I laughed. I barely noticed my eye twitching. A shadow passed over Clockwork's face.

* * *

_"It has begun..." He whispered under his breath while Danny eye twitched. "His insanity has begun..." _

**Insane Danny shall be fun to write. ;) Thanks for your support, and next update shall be Thursday!**


	29. Chapter 29

**I don't own DP!**

Sam and Ryan fell into a comfortable conversation after the awkwardness wore off. Ryan began his tale of what happened in the past. He mainly focused on the happy parts, and Sam didn't press for further detail. She was content by his vivid descriptions of the girl he loved, and she died silently inside on how his face showed so much love for this Melody. He finished his tale right before the fire started. He then looked at Sam. Sam had blushed and stuttered, but she began to talk about her dreams. Especially the dreams about Danny, and how she was in love with him before she even met him in person. She kept certain parts to herself, but he didn't pry. Half an hour passed, and Danny still hadn't come back with Clockwork.

Sam grew worried and began to pace.

"Should we go get them?" She asked worriedly. Ryan glanced at her, and then held her hand in his.

"Sam. Danny is an amazing guy, and he's going to be just fine." He said. Sam looked at their entwined hands. She quietly slipped hers out of his.

"I hope your ri-"

"SAMMY!" yelled a very familiar voice. A smile grew on Sam's face. It was a voice she loved. She finally looked up.

"Hi Dan- Danny...?"

Something was... Off about him. He was glowing an eerie blue, which was very off. She raised an eyebrow.

"New power..? Danny, what's with the glow?" She asked. Danny looked down at himself, and then back to her.

"What blue glow? I don't know what you're talking about!" He responded honestly. He then glomped her, and she blushed.

"D-danny!" She giggled. Danny let out a low purr and nibbled her ear gently. Sam let out an involuntary moan and then gasped. She slapped him.

"Danny! What the heck? I asked you to take it slow!" she hissed angrily. Danny wiggled his eyebrows.

"Buuuut I know you love it," he whispered huskily. Sam frowned, even though he was right.

"What's gotten into you?" She asked. Danny tried to wrap his arms around her, but she dodged him.

"Seriously! This isn't like you!" She stated in horror. Danny just laughed. Ryan thought back to the conversation he and Sam had just minutes ago. This wasn't like him. He walked in front of Sam and stood protectively in front of her.

"She was talking about you. And you aren't the Daniel she was describing. What's going on?"

Danny let out a low laugh.

"I'm the same as I've always been! Haha!" He said chuckling.

The ghostly angel wings that suddenly sprouted from his back told a different story.

**Thanks for all of your support and comments! *hugs* Next update will be tomorrow, and leave a review please! **


	30. Chapter 30

**I don't own DP! **

_This is bad_, thought Clockwork. _This is very, very, bad. _

"Daniel!" shouted Clockwork. Danny laughed and looked in Clockwork's general direction.

"W-what is it?" He snorted. Clockwork held out his hand, and a starry glow surrounded it. He shot it at Danny, and he collapsed to the ground. There was complete silence for a moment.

"CLOCKWORK!" yelled Sam angrily. "WHAT THE HECK DID YOU D-"

"He's not dead. He's merely knocked unconscious in a deep sleep for the time being," he explained. Sam was still fuming, and she ran over to Danny. Kneeling down, she stroked his new angel wings.

"Danny..." she whispered in disbelief, "Why?"

"Samantha, Ryan... Sit down. I need to clarify a few things for you," stated Clockwork. Sam and Ryan looked briefly at each other before sitting on a rough log. Clockwork looked at Danny, and then back at them.

"When a ghost is first created after the time of one's death, it needs an obsession. No obsession, and the new ghost goes insane the equal amount of years the ghost has lived as a human. But if a ghost does find an obsession within the first four years of being a ghost, the ghost can prolong becoming insane. But once the ghost looses its obsession in one way or another, it finally cracks and goes insane. All ghosts become insane at one point because of the fact that its the only way to rid of all human emotions. It's a natural part of becoming a ghost, and well..." Clockwork's gaze drifted over to Sam.

"Samantha... Danny's obsession was you." he said quietly. "And in his state of mind, he thinks he lost you to Ryan. I know that is completely false, but since you insist of taking things slowly with him... He didn't get what he wanted the most. It started small, but now it's escalated to insanity. Samantha, I'm so sorry."

Sam's eyes widened in horror and sadness as she looked at her fallen love. With a cry she ran over and hugged his unconscious body.

"Wh-why? WHY?" she screamed to no one in particular. Ryan walked slowly over and placed a hand on her shoulder. She didn't push it off this time.

"I may need to escort him to a sanitarium so you can be saf-" started Clockwork, but Sam cut him off.

"He's not going to some mental hospital. He's still my Danny..." she whispered fiercely. Clockwork sighed.

"Sam, you've seen how he changed. He's not your Danny for the time being. I need to get you and Ryan to safety." he stated clearly. Sam shook her head.

"And leave Danny when he needs us most? Why would I do that?" she laughed harshly. A blue light suddenly illuminated from Danny's body, and his body began to float. His angel wings suddenly grew longer- much longer- and wrapped themselves around his body. A opaque shell formed around his wings and himself. The light suddenly disappeared, and the cocoon was left floating in the air.

The three just stared at it, awestruck.

"Well. This could be a problem," said Ryan slowly.

**Sorry for not updating yesterday.. I was sick, and I still am. Next update will be Monday. **


	31. Chapter 31

**I don't own DP.**

Vlad was fuming.

He was absolutely fuming.

The best hunter he could ask for, suddenly joins the other side, and finally realizes he's been tricked the entire time? He wasn't supposed to figure that out until Vlad dramatically told him his brilliant scheme.

Butter biscuits.

"Maddie, I'm going to hunt that mongrel down if that's the last thing I do!" declared Vlad. Maddie looked up at him in surprise. She walked over and rubbed his legs, purring all the while. Vlad let out a tiny smile and stroked her back.

"Ah, Maddie... Oh! Perhaps I should bring that vicious little pet Samantha has with me as a bribe! For exchange for Ryan..." He said in a lightbulb moment. He laughed at his own brilliant idea. Two silver rings passed over him, and he flipped on the ghost portal switch. The portal glowed an eeire green. Maddie hissed at the opening. Vlad looked down at her.

"Maddie, it's okay! It's not going to hurt you!" he said. Maddie still was freaked out at the thing. Vlad sighed and looked around.

"Now, where did that cat go?" He asked, referring to the bumbling orange kitten. Maddie hissed towards the bed. Vlad raised an eyebrow, but floated over to the bed regardless. He lifted up the bed sheets, and sure enough, the tiny orange creature was fast asleep. Vlad's eyes softened at the sight, but he gingerly picked him up and snuggled him. Maddie let out a low growl. Vlad simply rolled his eyes and flew with RJJ into the ghost zone.

The ghost zone was rather cold that day. RJJ's wide eyes opened up, and he let out a mew of fear.

"Shhhh... It's okay," whispered Vlad. "It's going to be okay."

RJJ began to shiver, which was unusual. Ghosts didn't tend to get cold. Vlad brought the tiny creature closer to his chest to try to keep him warm.

"You wanna help me? We can bring the little punk back, and then maybe I can keep you," said Vlad to the kitty. "I can feed you lots of food and spoil you rotten, you adorable little kitty bitt-" The two suddenly crashed into someone.

"Plasmius. Enjoying quality time with your little kitten?"

Vlad's face flushed a bright red as he looked up to see who they crashed into. Lang was floating before them, and a smirk was planted firmly on his face.

"The longing to spend all your time with these... Creatures is so deliciously tempting..." commented Lang with a smile.

Vlad's embarrassed silence was the only response he got.

**There ya go. Next chapter. Leave a review and next update will be tomorrow. Have a nice night/day. And oh wow! Almost 300 reviews! Thanks guys and gals!**


	32. Chapter 32

**I don't own DP!**

"Danny, come out of your cocoon thing... Please." begged Sam. She looked up at the now glowing cocoon floating in midair. Clockwork placed a rough hand onto her shoulder.

"Samantha," he started out, "it's no use. This is one unusual way that ghosts transforms. You're aware of how butterflies go through metamorphosis, correct?"

Sam nodded, her black hair falling in front of her face. Clockwork sighed.

"Well... Daniel's going through an interesting metamorphosis. The wings you saw on his back indicated that he's... Well... Not going to be a _ghost_."

Both Sam's and Ryan's eyes widened.

"What do you mean, not going to be a ghost? That's impossible. Once you die, you always become a ghost." said Ryan slowly. Sam nodded in agreement. Clockwork looked at the cocoon, and then back at them.

"Angel wings. Once he completes his transformation, he's going to move past the ghost zones gates of death and move onto heaven. As an angel."

The silence that followed was deafening. Sam was in utter shock. He was going to move on... Without her...

And leave her behind.

"...what...?" she whispered in disbelief. "He's... He's..."

"He's been always destined to become an angel. Angels go through a metamorphosis, as you see here, and their insanity is contained within that cocoon. It allows others not to be hurt, but it is very vulnerable because their cocoons can be stolen and destroyed. A human becoming an angel is nearly impossible, unless the human was changed to a halfling in some way, shape, or form. In Daniel's case, he became a halfling ghost. Halflings don't belong as ghosts because they can be too dangerous. The host of the angels met with Pariah eons ago. They came to an agreement that the angels would transform halflings at the point of their insanity to become angels. It came at a cost: the vulnerability. Halflings often don't survive long enough to become angels, because so many ghosts are jealous and try to kill them as soon as they get the chance. They plunder the cocoons, ripping out the insane halfling and keep the cocoons. The cocoon shells are priceless, and they go on the black market for a steep price. Lives are lost over the cocoons, and the insane halfling dies eternally, never to return." Clockwork explained. Sam tried to wrap her mind around the fact that Danny was going to have to leave her. Because he was an angel. And if he died, he wouldn't never return.

"Cl-clockwork? Ghosts and angels can see each other, right?" asked Sam hopefully. Clockwork didn't meet her gaze.

"After Pariah met with the host of angels, the host died. The angels were so furious that they banned any meeting of ghost and angels. They now think that saving halflings from becoming ghosts is rightful in the eyes of their creator. Which means..."

"She'll never see her phantom again." said Ryan in realization. "Never."

**Thanks for now over 300 reviews! You all hate me for that plot twist, don't ya? ;) Haha, anyways, next update will be Thursday and leave a review please**!


	33. Chapter 33

**I don't own DP! (I was right, you all hate me. ;P Now hate me even more.) **

"Clockwork. You're lying. You're lying," growled Sam. She was trying hard to ignore the tears selling up on her eyes. Clockwork shook his head slowly.

"Samantha, darling, I'm sorry, but I'm no-"

Sam shook her head and glared at Clockwork. She gave him a murderous look before turning around and pulling down the floating cocoon. She held onto it gently.

"I'm not your _darling_," she said harshly. "And you're lying. You kept Danny and I kept apart for eight long years. You don't want us to be together, huh? Fine! If you won't help me, I'll find someone who will. Ryan agrees with me, right?" she exclaimed angrily.

She looked at Ryan expectantly. Ryan didn't look back, and he looked at Clockwork.

"Sam, take a breath. He's not lying. He loved you too much to let you get hurt-" he said, trying to defend Clockwork, but Sam didn't say a single word.

"Loved me? My parents didn't love me. Clockwork was the closet thing I had to a parent, but now he's betraying me too. He trying to rip me and Danny apart. He's making all this angel crud up to try to break my heart. Everyone's betraying me. But you know, maybe I was wrong. Maybe the person I thought I could trust entirely turns out to be a betrayer."

Tears finally slipped out of her cheeks as she looked at Clockwork.

"I should have never trusted you. _I HATE YOU_!" she yelled.

The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Sam stood there panting, and Clockwork froze with shock.

"Samantha... I... I would never... Please...believe me. If you go outside your mind, then you'll be destroyed. Your transformation to a ghost went completely wrong. You need to find your ghost essence inside you and complete the transformation. Otherwise, you'll die. Eternally," he said weakly. Sam let out a harsh laugh.

"How do I know you're not lying?" she scoffed. Clockwork looked like he was about to break down, but he composed himself and looked at her.

"Qwaza la libra. Yi na lyina; yi habli ed tlisty." he said, speaking the ancient language of the Observants. Sam didn't understand much of the language, but she could understand a little. She understood what he said, and she shook her head.

"Fine. I get it. I don't trust you, but it's virtually impossible to lie in the ancient language. Come on Danny, we're finding this essence thing. Without their help." she said with finality. "And Clockwork, don't follow us. Go back to your tower with Ryan, make him into a freakin' apprentice and he can replace me. I thought you cared for me, but I guess I was wrong." She stroked the cocoon protectively and began to run.

"I was wrong." she whispered to herself. The tears really began to fall down her face, and she forced herself not to look back. She ran blindly into the woods clutching onto the cocoon.

Clockwork stood there in utter shock. Ryan bit his lip and looked at him. There was a loud crack of thunder, and the sky opened up. Heavy rain began to fall, soaking both of them to the bone. Ryan chattered and rubbed his arms together for warmth. But Clockwork...

Clockwork broke down for the first time in a thousand years. Salty tears of pain and agony rolled down his cheeks, and he wept openly. With a bit of hesitation, Ryan gave the sobbing ghost an awkward hug. Clockwork immediately embraced him and sobbed into his shoulder. Ryan smiled weakly and rubbed his back.

"Shhhh... Shhh... It's okay. It's okay... She'll come back. Trust me. It's going to be okay..."

His voice began to fade, and the rain accompanied Clockwork's sobbing.

The phantom...

The phantom's keeper...

Both gone, like whispers in the wind.

**BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO KILL ME ON ACCOUNT OF ENDING THIS SEQUEL ON THIS NOTE, LET ME EXPLAIN! THIS IS GOING TO BE A TRILOGY! **

**This part ended on a very sad cliffhanger, but Sam is a betrayer, no? I will post the information for the sequel as another chapter once I have the first chapter up for the trilogy. It won't be up until next week, but as for now, thank you all for your support and love for this trilogy. I'm surprised it got this popular, and I'm glad you guys are hanging onto every word. **

**Til the final book in this trilogy, **

**~Oak Leaf Ninja**


	34. Author's Note

**The final part of the trilogy is up, ya guys. **

**It's called "The Guardian". **

**Find it on my profile. **

**Enjoy~ **


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